Our flagship IPA that has a primary fermentation in new French oak barriques before being returned to stainless steel for final processing and carbonation. Think of all the great pine needle and grapefruit you associated with Hop Hog with an added vanilla aroma and softened mouth feel.

Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by foles:

First barrel aged beer I have had from an Aussie brewery. Very nice effort too. Subtle woody flavours in the background, the aggressive hops are subdued/smoothed, but same flavour profile exists. Really enjoyed this one looking out the bushland around the Feral brewery.

Pours a deep gilded amber, huge head filling half the glass! Beige and wonderfully dense, retains stupidly well since it's so big anyway, a bit of sinking would be nice. Lace is insultingly thick and transcendentally sticky. Not much bead, but it's not needed. Head needs some reducing but otherwise fantastically wonderful.

Smell is lovely, woody with a nice spicy and resiny mix. Vegetative oaky mote with hints of mint and some lemongrass and normal grass. Wonderful smell; trouble though is there's little more thsn wood showing through, with only a slight peck on the cheek from the hops, very meek by comparison. I like this because I like oaky smell but there's not much else to it.

Taste is indeed vanilla on the front, with lots of oak. Again quite spicy with more lemongrass and green peppercorns; slight honey note as well on the late-mid. Hops are not distinct, but they're sort of there to play second fiddle to the wood characters, and the fact is if they weren't there this would probably feel heavy-handed and over-vegetative and they clean it up without you realising it. Leaves very spicy with peppery and a woody vinous note. Nicely dry but would like less wood or more hops.

Good swilling texture; nice body with lots happening in the mouth. I'm glad I was invited to this particular mouth party.

The intensity of the wood makes this slightly less sessionable than it might have been. A more subtle oaky touch would have just blasted the Hop Hog into the stratosphere of drinkability but as it is there's something very tangible and savoury about it that just mars it slightly.

On tap at Feral AleStars with Brendan Varis at the Local Taphouse Darlinghurst.

Pours a clear, dark golden hue, with a huge head. I wonder how they'd pours this into a regular glass. Head is pure white, and leaves some excellent lacing, as would be expected. Minimal carbonation present in the body. Overall, it looks pretty good.

Peachy sweet candy on the nose. Masses of tropical fruit, but sweetened even more by the light vanilla characters coming through from the oak. Together they give a phenomenal sweetness like stewed apricots. Just lovely.

Taste is also delicious. Peach, vanilla custard and pastry, really quite sweet and clear, with surprisingly little bitterness. The only thing really akin to it is a slight hazelnut and almond character on the back that melds with the wood notes. It's a really lovely palate. Feel is a little thin, which is a shame, because a velvety pour would meld so beautifully.

This is a lovely brew, but it's quite far removed from its genesis as an IPA. Sure, the hops give it some of its tropical fruit characters, but the aging has made it lose a lot of its bitterness. Don't think of it as an IPA and you'll have a blast - this is a great beer.

A - Pours a nice golden colour, bright, with mild carbonation. One finger of soapy white head. Nice drapes of lace leftover and a film of retention.

S - Oak, grape, citrus hops

T - Fresh bright fruits and an oaky characteristic set with grapefruit and tropical fruit.

M - Pretty bitter with fairly strong carbonation and a medium body.

O/D - The barrel element plays well with the IPA character. A light, vinous note is definitely there with a little wood sparked by the Chardonnay barrel. Cool stuff but I would rateher drink normal Hop Hog over this. Neverthelss, a cool experiment.

Been looking forwards to this and pours a slight hazed golen amber hue which leaves a two finger creamy head and lacing everywhere,the smell is bubblegum,bittersweet grape sherbet,piney hops and vanilla,the mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy which is definately different to the normal Hop Hog and tastes pretty much on par with the smell with tastes of piney bitter hops,lemon sherbet,bubblegum,cheesecake and finished with candied citrus bittersweetness and overall its nice and i could drink all day,i think the ageing in barrels has taken a little sting out of the bitterness while giving it a creamier mouthfeel and would like to see it aged in some different barrels cheers.

All in all to be applauded an IPA that is balanced and incredibly complex. Take Hop Hop, take some of the hop bite out, and add in layers and layers of complex and integrated flavours and there you go. Excellent beer.

A - Pours a brilliantly clear orange hued dark golden colour with a few centimetres of off white head that falls away quicker than expected leaving a light lacing.
S - Big oaky notes up front followed by some nice but subtle citrus & floral hop notes. There is also a nice bready malt touch.
T - Also very oaky in the taste. I'm getting similar flavours to an oaked chardonnay, in particular vanilla & buttery notes. But then the hops that I know & love the regular Hop Hog for come through; piney sap & citrus fruit marmalade with floral hints. The light yet noticeable bready malt flavour balances it all.
M - The oak has given it a slightly creamy, smooth mouthfeel up front but the finish is moderately bitter & dry with a medium level of carbonation that makes you want to take another sip.
D - Initially the oak is a bit too full on but after a while the other flavours present themselves nicely. Feral continue to be one of the best Australian craft breweries & this shows why. Not something I'd drink a lot of but I'm so glad they have done it. I think barrel fermented Fanta Pants should be next as maybe the caramel maltiness will hold it's own against the oak.